MOBILE, Ala. (3-29-2008) ? Arkansas State (14-12, 5-6) jumped out to a 3-0 first-inning lead, but the Jaguars of South Alabama (15-11, 4-4) countered with seven runs through the first two innings and went on to defeat the Tribe 10-4 Saturday afternoon in Sun Belt Conference action at Stanky Field. With the win, South Alabama clinched the league series with a 2-0 advantage heading into Sunday afternoon's game three. South Alabama opened the series with a 17-9 win Friday night.
“Give South Alabama credit - nobody has done to us what they are doing to us, which is coming out and pounding it,” said ASU Head Coach Keith Kessinger, whose Indians came into the series with a league-leading 3.58 team ERA. “We'll see how we respond tomorrow.”
Four of Arkansas State's first six batters got aboard with hits as the Tribe came out swinging to take the 3-0 first-inning lead. Junior center fielder Derrick Coleman led off the game with an infield single before moving to third on a single down the right field line from junior second baseman Brandon Eller. A double from senior shortstop Ryan Hudgins sent Coleman home, with Eller and Hudgins crossing the plate for the 3-0 lead on a single to center field from junior third baseman Guy Brown.
South Alabama countered in the bottom of the first with a pair of home runs that erased the Indian lead and put the Jaguars on top 5-3. Junior catcher David Doss put the Jags on the board with a two-run home run before junior right fielder Chris Davis put South Alabama on top with a three-run shot over the right field wall.
The Jaguars used a pair of RBI doubles in the second to stretch their lead to five runs. Senior left fielder Clint Toomey and senior designated hitter Ryne Jeringan came up with the run-scoring hits to lift the USA lead to 7-3 at the end of two.
Arkansas State starter Jacob Maggard settled down over the next three innings to keep the Jaguars off the board, but South Alabama got to the ASU junior again in the sixth when senior shortstop Bunky Kateon led off the inning with a solo home run to end the day for Maggard.
Maggard (2-3) took the loss on the mound giving up eight runs on nine hits and a walk without a strikeout.
After giving up the three first-inning runs, Jaguar starter Brandon Sage held the Indians scoreless over the next six innings before Brown sent a pitch over the left-center wall for his first home run of the season. The eighth-inning shot by Brown cut the South Alabama lead to 8-4, but South Alabama countered with two runs in the bottom of the frame and ASU did not score in the ninth, giving the Jaguars the 10-4 victory.
Sage pitched his first complete game to pick up the victory on the mound for South Alabama. Sage (2-1) gave up four runs on 12 hits, striking out nine batters while walking two.
Brown went 3-for-4 with 3 runs batted in and Coleman went 3-for-5 to lead the Indians at the plate, while center fielder Ray Kruml led the Jags with three hits and one RBI. Both teams totaled 12 hits on the day.
“We hit some balls hard,” said Kessinger. “A couple of our double-play balls were really hard-hit ground balls that just didn't go in the right spot, and offensively, we need those balls to find holes. We are not a team that goes out and bangs them off the walls.”
The Indians and Jaguars are scheduled to close out the Sun Belt Conference series Sunday at 1 p.m.
